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Buddy Bell
David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. After an 18-year career with four teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, he managed the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals for three seasons each. The son of outfielder Gus Bell and the father of third basemen David and Mike, he is well-liked by former teammates and fans and continues to be remembered by the organizations for which he played. Bell was born while his father was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was drafted in 1969 by the Indians and was regarded as a promising prospect from the beginning. He first appeared in the Major Leagues with the Indians in , appearing mostly in the outfield as a rookie, but afterwards becoming a fixture at third base. Bell was a solid, but not overpowering, right-handed hitter on a mostly lackluster Indians team. He was named to the All-Star team in 1973. After the season Bell was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Toby Harrah – a player who seemed similar in many ways, a good-hitting infielder in the middle of his career. Bell enjoyed his best season with the Rangers in , collecting 200 hits, 101 RBI, and his first Gold Glove Award. He followed with solid seasons through 1984, including several All-Star selections. In the middle of the season, Bell was sent to the Cincinnati Reds, where his father also had been a popular player in the late 1950s. This was a very popular addition with Reds fans, and Buddy responded with two more solid years. In the season he began to fade, and was traded to the Houston Astros. Bell was released in December and returned with the Rangers before the season, in which he appeared sparingly. In an 18-year career, Bell posted a .279 batting average with 201 home runs and 1106 RBI in 2405 games. He also won six Gold Gloves, and made five All-Star Game appearances. Following retirement, Bell worked for several years as a coach in the Reds and from 94-95 for the Indians, and managed the Detroit Tigers from 1996-98, when he resigned after 135 games because he "couldn't stand the losing" (and the Tigers were a terrible team at the time). He then managed the Colorado Rockies from through part of when he was fired in April after a 6-16 start. As a manager both for Detroit and Colorado, Bell compiled a 184-277 record. In November , Bell returned to coaching for the Cleveland Indians. On May 31, 2005, the Kansas City Royals hired Bell as their manager, three weeks after Tony Peña resigned. Bell won his first four games as a manager, becoming only the second Royals manager (after Whitey Herzog) to do so and guiding the Royals to their first four-game winning streak since . Bell took a medical leave of absence from the team on September 20, 2006 after a lump was discovered on his tonsils. Bell had experienced difficulty swallowing in the previous weekshttp://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15576946.htm, but he only agreed to go to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona following the advice of Royals medical staff. Bell's wife has battled tonsil cancer as well. On August 1, 2007, Bell announced that he would not be returning to the Royals bench at the conclusion of the 2007 season. Bell has stated that his decision was his own, and was not based on performance or pressure from the Royals front office. Bell stated that he wishes to spend more time with his family - a sentiment solidified in 2006 with his cancer diagnosis.http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/214535.html Managerial record (updated thru Oct. 8, 2007) See also * Top 500 home run hitters of all time * List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles * List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs * List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI * List of second generation MLB players * List of Major League Baseball managers in 2006 * List of Major League Baseball managers in 2007 External links * Baseball Library - Profile * Category:Major League Baseball third basemen Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Texas Rangers players Category:Cincinnati Reds players Category:Houston Astros players Category:American League All-Stars Category:Major League Baseball players from Pennsylvania Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Baseball managers Category:Colorado Rockies managers Category:Detroit Tigers managers Category:Kansas City Royals managers Category:Third Basemen Category:Managers Category:Players